I hope the Dawgs are ready, for their sake. I'll be their enjoying this one.

Playing UGA tomorrow at 4 pm.

what I expect to see:

Last year we went into Athens and got slapped. Yannick Maden lost 6-1 6-0 and Wibowow lost 6-1 6-1. Only Meza was able to win a set in singles. We were able to win #1 doubles.

This year's Clemson team is better and more polished while UGA is younger and still learning their new positions. The odds of an upset would be better had this been the first match of the season like the Vandy match.

Doubles:

1: 18 Maden brothers vs #5 Wagland/Pieters
This will be a great doubles match. Wagland was paired with Pasha when they lost to the Madens 8-4. The Madens are looking unbeatable at the moment. If their is one weakness of the Maden team it is the serves of both players. Not the largest servers.

2: Wibowo/Meza vs Pasha/Singh
I don't know how well they work together but the idea of Pasha and Singh on the same side of the court is scary to me. Wibowo is the better doubles player of the Clemson team. He has great touch and can hit unexpected angles. He is not steady though. Meza is not the greatest volleyer. Clemson will be hard pressed to win this match.

3: Harrington/Rigsby vs Diaz/Brasseaux
A match Clemson must win if we want to win this dual match. Rigsby is the best server on the team and has some of the best overheads in the nation.

singles:

1: 75 Yannick Maden vs 8 KU Singh
Singh beat Maden 6-3 6-3 in the fall. Not a great matchup for Maden as Singh is a speedy player and Maden's angles will not bother Singh as much as it does other players. Singh will be able to out-maneuver Maden and likely will win by a similar scoreline as the fall meeting.

2: Hunter Harrington vs 19 Nathan Pasha
These two have battled over the years in juniors back when Pasha was THE big deal in tennis. Pasha was dominant at 6 last year but so far he scuffled since taking over the reigns at #2 as he is on a two match losing streak, losing to Gonzalez Austin(Vanderbilt) and Max Wennakoski(VCU). Harrington will have to serve big to win this. He played #5 all of last year and he has also scuffled since taking over at #2, losing sets to lesser players.

3: Gerardo Meza vs 16 Hernus Pieters
Pieters beat Meza 7-6 6-4 in the fall. Meza can win this match if he controls from the back of the court and pushes Pieters around. Meza has been sharp this year as had Pieters before his inexplicable loss to Rhys Johnson. This will be a tight match.

4: Dom Maden vs Ben Wagland
This will be my first time seeing Wagland the Freshman from Australia play. I do not know his game-style yet and can't comment on the technical match up here. Maden has been playing well. He can defend for his life against bigger hitters and also can take charge with his big flat forehand on the high balls.

5: Zac Rigsby vs Austin Smith
Rigsby was a solid #6 last year in the ACC and has improved his game as he tries to go out well in his senior year. He has become faster and he has become more aggressive. Smith is a Freshman and I know little to nothing about his game. I see this as a good opportunity for Rigsby to get a point for Clemson

6. Austin Ansari or Ayrton Wibowo vs Nick Wood or Garrett Brasseaux
I am thinking that Clemson will play Ansari at 6 because of recent success and recent Wibowo struggles but Wibowo could also be put there because of his potential to play well. #6 is a weak spot for UGA and they could play either Wood or Brasseaux.

Clemson has got to win doubles to have any shot here. I see the best chances for singles wins in order are, 5,6,4,3,1,2

I'd say Meza has a better shot at beating Pieters than Maden does against Wagland. I'd be surprised if Wagland didn't win that one in straights. Hard to make any confident prediction on 5 and 6 from the Georgia perspective since Wood has played all of 2 matches both of which got cut short and Austin has only played 1 match in the last 3 months. I think both of those guys have big potential but it's early.

If we play Brasseaux/Diaz at 3 dubs your guys will probably take that one, I like Singh/Pasha at 2, and 1 is a toss up.

We'll need KU for Sunday against Ohio State so probably good to rest him today. I'd say that makes Yannick a good favorite at 1 against Pasha. Will be good to see what Pash can do in his 1st appearance at #1.

We'll need KU for Sunday against Ohio State so probably good to rest him today. I'd say that makes Yannick a good favorite at 1 against Pasha. Will be good to see what Pash can do in his 1st appearance at #1.

Well at least we put a point on the board this year. The loss is Dom Maden really hurt in doubles as Ansari was not ready for that. There were chances on courts 1 and 2 for Clemson Harrington had a lot of chances to take the 2nd set vs Pieters. Y Maden led in the first set tiebreak 4-0, before Pasha dug in more and Yannick could not finish him.
I was most impressed by Wagland , he was very tough. Solid baseliner who knows when to get aggressive. Meza was playing his game but Wagland was too much.
Ansari played well at 6 to take the 1st set from Brasseaux 6-4, before Manny Diaz ignored everyone's wishes and pulled the plug on the match.

Hopefully this match becomes very important. It was an important lesson that despite the improvements the team isn't there yet.

Nick Wood is a deceptively fast guy. There were several instances where I saw Rigsby running hard after balls and hitting good shots on the run and thinking that shot won the point but Wood was somehow always there. Out worked Rigsby as Rigsby was often flying around the court going for shots. Wood has great anticipation and knows just where to be.

I see 6-0 on ITA. It's supposed to be 6-1. Diaz conceded the match. Ansari wanted to keep playing, Brasseaux wanted to keep playing. Both players were shocked when they called it. Even the remaining UGA fans booed a bit because they wanted to see more tennis.
I looked at Ansari's personal results and it even has him listen as losing the first set 4-6. Just typical college tennis stat incompetence.

off topic but how is Lander? they use to kick butt from their aggressive recruiting? Even took out UGA one year when UGA was no 1. I have been away from the collegiate scene for awhile now. They still any good?

Two good results for Clemson today. Louisville defeats UNC and Alabama beats Harvard. These are relevant because Clemson will play Alabama and Louisville in Clemson in two weeks. Those results will keep those teams higher in the rankings and will help Clemson if we are able to beat both of those teams at home which we definitely should.

Playing at Wisconsin Sunday . Return trip from when the Badgers came down here last year, which Clemson won 6-1.
Wisconsin isn't ranked but this will be a tough match. They are improved from last year.

Good win on the road in Madison yesterday. Wisconsin is improved from last season. Also this was another match without Dom Maden

Doubles was key as #2 clinched it. Ansari and Wibowo trailed in the 7-7 tiebreak 2-4 before winning it 8-6. That momentum continued in singles for Ansari.

1. Yannick Maden def Billy Bertha 6-0 4-6 6-2
Not sure what was up with the 2nd set blip

2. Hunter Harrington def Oskar Wikberg 6-1 7-6(6)
Good that Harrington was able to close it out and not extend it to a tricky 3rd set.

3. Petr Satral def Gerardo Meza 7-6 7-5
Not a good loss

4. Alexander Kostanov def Ayrton Wibowo 6-3 6-7(6) 6-0
Wibowo showed some rare tiebreak metal only to lose 6-0 in the 3rd. Kostanov is a good player but a 6-0 3rd set is weird. I don't think Wibowo will win another match this year and im being dead serious, he's done mentally. He is 25 years old and this is his 3rd college stop (Oregon, Auburn-Montgomery). He can still play doubles but hopefully Dom Maden comes back soon so Wibowo does not have to play singles.

The Maden Brothers move up to #10 in the doubles rankings. Hopefully Dom will be back soon so they can continue to play together.

Yannick Maden moves down from 75 to 83. Mainly he is dropping because Andreas Mies is free-falling; that used to be a good win Maden but now Mies is down at 106. Maden does not have any bad losses but only one good win and that was a 6-0 6-4 win over Fred Saba.

playing vs Alabama today at home. This will be outdoor, first match for us outdoor today.

Alabama beat Harvard but lost to Samford. It's hard to gauge what type of match we will get today from them. This is an absolute must win for Clemson today. Cannot lose to Alabama at home.

I think Botha will give Harrington fits at #2. If Alabama were smart they would play Botha at 2, because Maden killed Botha last year and Botha matches up much better with Harrington. I will be interested to see how O'Shaughnessey is at 1.

Proskura has not lost this year in the dual season. He will be tough for Meza. That will be a good match.

4 should go to Dom Maden, he is much better than Vieyra. Of course this is assuming that Dom will play today, he did sit out vs UGA and Wisconsin.

playing vs Alabama today at home. This will be outdoor, first match for us outdoor today.

Alabama beat Harvard but lost to Samford. It's hard to gauge what type of match we will get today from them. This is an absolute must win for Clemson today. Cannot lose to Alabama at home.

I think Botha will give Harrington fits at #2. If Alabama were smart they would play Botha at 2, because Maden killed Botha last year and Botha matches up much better with Harrington. I will be interested to see how O'Shaughnessey is at 1.

Proskura has not lost this year in the dual season. He will be tough for Meza. That will be a good match.

4 should go to Dom Maden, he is much better than Vieyra. Of course this is assuming that Dom will play today, he did sit out vs UGA and Wisconsin.

Click to expand...

Is OShaughnessy playing one?? I have played him many many times and worked him out alot last year. He is sooooo talented. He is an incredible athlete. He started playing tennis late at 12.He is gonna be a late bloomer that could really take off in the next year or two. I could see him playing on the next level maybe one day. If hes training hard and 100% committed the skies the limit.

Dom Maden again could not play(The Maden brother team is ranked 10th nationally) so Zac Rigbsy joined Yannick Maden at #1.

Rigsby faced 3 break points at 7-6 on his serve. What did he do on all 3? Serve an ace. He served it out to take doubles for the Tigers.

Singles: (Clemson won at 1,2,5,6)

1. 83 Yannick Maden def 86 Becker O'Shaughnessey 6-2 6-4
When Maden was serving for the match at 5-4 in the 2nd set. The assistant coach of Alabama told Becker "He cannot hurt you". Maden hit a clean winner next shot "it's ok he cannot hit 4 straight winners". Maden trailed here 15-30. Becker did not heed his coaches advice and went for it and ended up shaking two straight balls to give Maden match point and eventually Maden closed it out. O'Shaunghnessey is a good ball striker but not a great mover. Maden's angles were enough to keep Becker off balance all match and keep him uncomfortable.

2. Hunter Harrington def 122 Jarryd Botha 6-4 3-6 6-3
First win over a ranked opponent for Harrington in his collegiate career. Harrington played well and controlled the match from the onset. Botha wasn't consistent enough to take it from Harrington. I was prior concerned that this may be a macthup issue but Harrington handled it very well.

3. Daniil Proskura def Gerardo Meza 6-3 6-3
2nd time this year Meza has faced a lefty who choses his spots well(Wagland of UGA was the 1st). Meza's point building and ground-strokes were picked apart by Proskura's accuracy and transition play. Proskura remains unbeaten on the year.

4. Phillipe Tsangarides def Ayrton Wibowo 6-3 3-6 7-5
These two players had the same spontaneous style. Flexible players who like coming too net and great versatility of shot. But both also not the best grinders nor the mentally toughest. The Cypriot was able to battle it out in the 3rd after all the other matches were completed. Tsangarides had like 7 nicknames. Snake, Weasel, Phil guy, Philly, Baggy, etc.

5. Zac Rigsby def Harris Barnard 6-3 6-1
Rigsby had a solid fanbase backing for this match and they were on Barnard all match. Rigsby was ahead from point #1.

6. Austin Ansari def Carlos Taborga 6-2 6-2
Ansari continues to roll at #6. He is super athletic and has a great ability to hit different shots that are out of the norm. Taborga is one of the least athletic players I have seen in college tennis and tries to smack flat winners from anywhere on the court.

Result was never in doubt. Good win. Need to recover quick and get ready for #35 Louisville Sunday.

Louisville tomorrow. Match will be indoor because weather is not projected to go above 45.

Last year we played arguable our worst match of the year up in Louisville. Got beat 5-2 with none of the matches Clemson lost being that close.

This year Louisville has already played a challenging schedule. They have weird line-up shuffles. Sometimes Lippens plays at 4 or 3 and sometimes he doesn't play at all but he will never play lower than 4. Elizondo can appear anywhere from 3-6. Siegel is sometimes inserted into 4 or 5 or not in there at all. There's no telling what they will do with the line-up.

Great performance from the Tigers today. The weekend concludes with wins over 45 Alabama and 35 Louisville. Our ranking should shoot up from 57 to into the 30s.

Great play from Ansari and Wibowo at #2 doubles to shut the door and not allow Louisville into the tiebreaker.

Singles:
(Dom Maden not ready yet)

1. 83 Yannick Maden def 115 Sebastian Stiefelmeyer 6-1 6-2
Maden had too many answers for Seb. Stiefelmeyer is a sporadic hitter and was grinded down by Maden's smooth angles and passing shots.

2. Hunter Harrington def Chris Simich 3-6 6-1 6-4
Harrington started off terrible going down 0-4 thrown off by Simich's pushing. Eventually Harrington was able to load up on Simich's shots and started to blast winners rather than errors. Simich attempted to fight in the 3rd set bu Harrington's serve was having none of it.

4. Ayrton Wibowo def Austin Siegel 6-4 6-3
Finally a match where Wibowo #### the door without any drama. Very solid display overall. Hopefully we can see more of that in the future.

match clinched here

3: Gerardo Meza and Albert Wagner 6-3 4-6 3-4
This was a battle. Very similar styles from both layers. It was all about who could out-muscle the other in the baseline rallies. Shame this could not finish, but Louisville wanted to get on the road.

5 and 6 had barely got started but both Ansari and Rigsby were up early breaks in the 1st set.

Hello clemsontennis have a question. My family and I were very close to coach kriese. I even worked all the tiger tennis camp. Does he ever make an appearance at any of the matches, i know he s based in Maryland now, but I was just curious.

Hello clemsontennis have a question. My family and I were very close to coach kriese. I even worked all the tiger tennis camp. Does he ever make an appearance at any of the matches, i know he s based in Maryland now, but I was just curious.

Click to expand...

He has not been to one Clemson match since he left. Bridges were burned. Probably will be a bit more time before he makes an appearance . Without going into too much detail, it involved the recruitment of Arnau Brugues.

Last year we sneaked out the doubles point vs Auburn in the blue/gray classic but then we got blitzed in singles.

Mies has fallen since then and Maden won the last meeting between the two.

It will be indoor since there is a 100% chance of rain tomorrow.

I anticipate a close match. If we take doubles then we will win the match. I think we will get wins at 1,5 and 6. I don't like #3 matchup. Meza vs Ollert. Ollert is lightning fast and will frustrate Meza with all the balls he gets back.